By JonR (jazzguitar.be, ibreathemusic, allaboutjazz etc.

), excerpts fro mvarious posts:

You need to remember is that modal harmony doesn't work like major or minor key harmony. The kinds of chords and chord progressions you're probably thinking of are derived from Ionian (major) and eolian (minor) ! or rather "armonic #inor. The whole system of $functional$ chord progressions is associated with major or minor keys% which (historically) evolved out of and supplanted the modal system. (The original medieval modes didn't use chords or harmony as we understand it.) In so!called $modal ja&&$% which was a reaction against bebop and its comple' functional chord progressions% they tried to abandon the whole idea of chord $progressions$ (in the sense of a linked series with a logical movement from one to the ne't)% and even chords built in (rds (root!(rd!)th etc) ! precisely because they knew a total break with major and minor keys was necessary* they had to $clear the decks$. +hords built in (rds (triads% ,ths% etc) came with too much functional $baggage$. -hen we hear a dom,!type chord (ie major (rd% minor ,th)% we generally e'pect it to be a .,% about to resolve to a tonic. -hen we hear a min, chord% we e'pect it to be a ii or vi% or maybe a iii. #odal ja&& composers didn't want any such inbuilt messages or meanings in their chords* they wanted to e'plore modes as sources of pure melody% without any need for the harmony to $go$ anywhere. kind of meditative harmonic stasis% a single mood. /o they built chords in 0ths as much as possible (but usually including 1nds% )ths% and 23 maybe the occasional (rd somewhere). +hords built in 0ths ($4uartal harmony$) have an ambiguous sound% it's hard to tell what the root is supposed to be% and hard to discern any function in the chord* which is the idea. +hords in modal ja&& often sound like random bunches of notes% because that's more or less what they are. /o ! to play lydian mode in ja&&% you would have 52 chord $progression$. You would have 256 chord (if any)% including various notes from the mode. 7or + lydian% there would be + in the bass* probably a 8 to support it* a maj, (9) and a :;; (7:) to identify the mode. nd then any other note from the mode that you felt like. If you did want to use tertian chords (triads and ,ths)% then you might use a normal + or +maj,% with perhaps a second contrasting chord% such as < major. (This is what =oe /atriani did in 7lying in a 9lue <ream% which is ! mostly ! in + lydian> a + chord% with a brief <?+ resolving back to +% to highlight the 7: in the mode.) -hat you need to avoid (probably) is a 8 chord% 7:dim% or <,% all of which will (due to familiarity) pull the sound back towards 8 major. /ome modes can stand using a few more chords (mi'olydian anyway)% but most are tonally weak% meaning too many chords (of the traditional triadic

variety) will point the sound towards the relative major key. /o $modal harmony$ means essentially one chord (anything built on the root)% with possibly a second contrasting chord. 6g% if the root chord doesn't identify the mode in itself (eg using m, for dorian% which could also stand for aeolian or phrygian)% then you'd add a secondary chord which contains the crucial missing modal identifiers. /o for dorian mode% you'd include <% <, or 9m as a contrast to m% to provide the 7: which tells you it's dorian ( m, and 9m, between them spell the whole mode% but m and < are enough to imply it). 9ut no other chords@ The problem with building and using chords in the same way as you would in a major or minor key is that modes are tonally weaker than keys. Asing I!I.!. may work with some% but it will often better to choose a different set* such as bII instead of . for phrygian% or b.II instead of . for mi'olydian or dorian. The other problem is that the more chords you use% the more it will start to sound like the relative major key (so use lots of chords in + dorian% and it might sound like a se4uence in 9b major). This is why% in early modal ja&&% they tried to make it sound as different as possible from keys by only using one chord for a long time% and?or by building chords in 0ths and 1nds instead of (rds% so their identity was more ambiguous% less reminiscent of functional chords in keys. In rock music% nobody cares about separating key sounds from modal sounds as carefully as that (and they're more rela'ed about it in ja&& now too). You sometimes get a rock song that you could describe as wholly in a mode and not a key% but it will probably use normal triadic chords% and it's much more common for songs to mi' modal sounds with traditional key sounds. 6g% for a major key song to use the b.II from mi'olydian* or for a mostly mi'olydian tune to sometimes use the . from the major key. Buite often% the theoretical problem ! or the confusion about terms ! comes from trying to apply old concepts (sometimes even ancient ones) to music where they don't really fit. Cock music% eg% does sometimes resemble conventional tonal music% but just as often goes its own sweet way (following its own rules). I2-% there are certainly $common practices$ in rock. 9ut not many of them are interpretable using tonal theory (or modal theory)* even if they are% it may not tell you anything useful about the music. Trying to use theoretical concepts to create music in the first place is also not a good idea. ("ence 4uestions about what one $can$ or $can't$ do% which are nonsensical in a way. You $can$ ! and should ! do anything you like% if it sounds good.) Ase theoretical jargon to try to describe e'isting music% by all means ! making sure you understand and define terms properly to start with. 9ut don't use it to criticise music ($this tune is wrong because that chord doesn't belong in this key$)% nor to justify a way of composing a piece of music* it's giving yourself a straitjacket to work in. 2f course% to write music in a particular style or genre (especially a historical one)% you need to know the rules of that genre% the sounds that define it. Theory is useful there. 9ut in contemporary vernacular music (such as rock)% you make the rules as you go* most of them

are intuitive% if you've been immersed in the genre long enough. It doesn't really help to give everything a theoretical name% any more than knowing the names of the muscles in your legs helps you walk down the street. Modal music as opposed to key-based music. There is a lot of overlap between the two styles - even in the same song sometimes. But IMO the distinction is useful. (I m sure I ve posted the following before here! apologies if you ve read it before..." #ey-based $ ma%or-minor key system $ functional harmony $ chord progressions! where each chord is a link in a chain! moving from consonance to dissonance and back! usually in a fairly predictable way. &ach chord has a meaning in the se'uence! a role to play. This kind of music (tells a story(. It s the system that classical music was based on for (very appro)imately" *++ years! up to about ,++ years ago. It s the system that %a-- was based on up to around .+ years ago and much of it still is. It s the system that all pop music is based on! all country music! most folk music. Most rock is also key-based. Modal music $ non-functional (static" harmony. /an consist of one chord throughout! or one chord for a long time. If there are chord changes! they are often to unrelated chords! with no (or little" sense of (resolution(. 0issonance is used! but as a way of adding (colour(! not as a way of setting up tension that needs resolution. Instead of (telling a story(! modal music creates a single mood. It s often meditative! but can be groovy dance music as well. The best e)ample of this kind of music today is Indian raga. It s the system &uropean church music was based on for around ,+++ years! from roughly 1++ 20. They used 3 modes4 0orian! 5hrygian! 6ydian! Mi)olydian. 6ate in the day (around ,..+"! they added Ionian and 2eolian! which evolved into the modern ma%orminor key system. 7a-- today usually combines modal ideas with key ideas. 8ock does too! but less consciously. Blues is a modal music at heart! but with key-based harmonisations.

In modern modal music! chords are usually 'uartal (built in 3ths" rather than tertian (in *rds". (In ancient modal music! there were no chords! as there are none today in Indian music." Miles 0avis (with a lot of help from classically-trained Bill &vans" brought modal concepts to %a-- in ,9.9. Modal concepts in rock:pop began (noticeably" in the early:mid,91+s. (;ard 0ays <ight( opens with a famous modal chord. Martha and the =andellas (0ancing in the >treet( has a mi)olydian verse. The 0oors (6ight My ?ire( has a dorian keyboard solo. The >tones (>atisfaction( is a classic mi)olydian riff! as is (The 6ast Time(. 2 good e)ample of the distinctions between the two is the Beatles (<orwegian @ood(. This spends ,1 bars on & mi)olydianA then moves to & dorian for ,B bars (&m-2-&m"A then the last 3 bars are a ii-= in & ma%or! resolving back to the mi)olydian groove. The Beatles wrote a couple of pure mi)olydian tunes4 (Tomorrow <ever #nows( and (@ithin Cou @ithout Cou(. There s a lot of mi)olydian vibe in classic rock. 2ny song based on &! using 2 and 0 chords in passing (instead of 2 and B" is essentially & mi)olydian. (I m sure you can think of do-ens..." Often! you get mi)olydian verses! going into ma%or key choruses. &)amples of this are4 (>weet /hild o Mine( (>ympathy for the 0evil( (;ard 0ays <ight( Mi)olydian means (good rock groove(. #ey means (singalong chorus(. =an Morrison s (Moondance( is an e)ample of a dorian verse! going to a minor key chorus. >antana s (Oye /omo =a( is a pure dorian song (as are many 2fro/uban tunes". Cou re right the distinction is not hard-edged. (There s been an &<O8MOD> thread over on the gearpage site about >weet ;ome 2labama! and whether it s in 0 mi)olydian or E ma%or. The ma%ority seem to go for 0 mi)oA while I and a si-able minority reman convinced it s in E ma%or." It comes down to where you hear a tonal centre of a piece of music.

6et s say you have these B chords cycling round and round4 F&mG : 2G : F @here do you hear the tonal centreH @hat note is (home(H To most people - on most situations - this is a classic & dorian groove. It has an (& minor( sound! but the 2 chord provides a ma%or 1 (/I". But supposing (after several times round that se'uence" we go to a 0 chordH >uddenly 0 is (home(. It s as if all along we ve been waiting for 0. The &m stops being a i in & dorian! and is (revealed( as a ii in 0 ma%or. This is because the ma%or key is a much stronger sound than modal tonalities. (Otherwise the 0 would %ust sound like a b=II in & dorian." ?or this reason! modal chord se'uences often centre around one chord! to make your ears focus on its root as the tonal centre (the keynote". Cou may get other chords! but - always - the tonic chord of the relative ma%or key will either be e)cluded! or used 'uickly in passing! before it draws our ears away. ;ere s a typical (rock mi)olydian( se'uence in & (again! it s a cycle"4 FF& : : : F& : 0 2 FF Cou could argue those chords are all in (key of 0( - technically true! but the tonal centre is clearly &. That s the (keynote(. 0 is the b=II chord. #ey-based se'uences typically have a lot more chords - and (as 7ed says" - they can incorporate non-diatonic chords! for colour or e)tra movement! because the ma%or key tonality is so strong. @e can move some way out of it! because it will always draw us back.
Opposed to tonal. #eeping it very simple. The difference in modal and tonal IM;O has to be heard. 0o a 0m chord! not 0mG or 0m9 or 0m,* %ust a simple old 0m O# now go to a E chord. That is a ii = modal vamp. 0o it again 0m! E 2gain 0m! E. I do not hear any resolution. I do hear a mood

and as long as I %ust use the 0m! E that same mood continues. <ow do a 0m! E! again! but this time add the tonic /. ;ear the differenceH I hear resolution. I hear tonal. That to me is the difference in modal and tonal. Modal is a mood -- no resolution %ust a mood -- imagine the chanting those monks did long ago -that type of music sets a mood. If you can not hear the difference going to be pretty hard to understand the difference. But! once you hear the resolution the mood vanishes and the tonal center comes into focus. That to me is the difference.

- ^A: Cou re right it s a simple difference! which has to be heard. But I think you re using the word (tonal( wrongly. The opposite of tonal is atonal. Modal music is tonal! because modes are tonalities! with tonal centres. They are %ust weaker than keys. The difference (in the harmony" is between modal and (functional(. The chords work differently! in the way you ve described. ...e)cept you re misleading by calling a dorian vamp (ii-=(. If it s modal! it s (i-I=( (in dorian mode". The tonal centre is i (0m in your e)ample". 2dd the /! as you describe! and 0m-E becomes a ii-= (in /"! because the ma%or key is a stronger tonality than dorian mode. <on-functional harmony - to simplify - is what so-called (modal %a--( was (is" all about. It consists - as steve suggests - of chords with no apparent (leading( purpose. IO@! with no %ob to do regarding the chords before and after. If indeed there are any chords before or after... 2 chord in non-functional harmony is %ust an isolated sound in its own right. &)amples in %a-- are (Maiden =oyage( (;erbie ;ancock"! which consists of 3 different Gsus3 chords with no key relationship between themA and (6ittle >unflower( by ?reddie ;ubbard! which consists of ,1 bars on 0mG (dorian mode" followed by 3 bars on &bma%G and 3 bars on 0ma%G! which are repeated. 2gain! no diatonic connection between the chord or their scales. Cou can argue in the latter case that the &bma%G is a kind of functional tension (leading to( the 0ma%G. In the same way you can argue that the &bmG in the bridge of Miles 0avis s (>o @hat( is a functional opposite to the 0mG that the 2

sections consist of. But it s more as if these semitone-above chords are mimicking the classic dominant-tonic dualism! in an almost sarcastic way. (7ust think of the title of Miles s tune...it could also refer to the flippant nod in the direction of %a-- standard tunes that its 22B2 structure represents". But even that early in the modal %a-- (movement(! functionality played a significant role. The most adventurous track on the album - at least the one that seemed to break away most from previous %a-- tradition - was (?lamenco >ketches(! which consists of . different modes (again unrelated by key"! over which the players improvised at random. IO@! while the players stuck to the indicated modes! there was no melody and no formal structure. But the transitions between modes were marked by the introduction of the =G chord of the ne)t mode - ie! they still used a functional device to guide them through the tune! to prepare the ear for the ne)t modality. The other way modal %a-- sought to distance itself from functional harmony was to employ 'uartal chords in place of tertian ones IO@ chords built (primarily" in 3ths and Bnds rather than *rds. This gave the chords an ambiguity! a rootless feel. Only tertian chords have clear functions! because their structure confirms a clear root identity! due to chord tones (pointing down( to the lowest note in the stack. In a 3th interval the top note is the acoustic root! so a stack of 3ths is always pointing upward to a root - a counterintuitive sensation! because we e)pect a bass note to govern a chord identityA so the chords convey a sense of suspension or open-endedness! a kind of unstable e'uilibrium. &g! rather than use a 0mG as such on (>o @hat(! the two chords in the theme are &m,, and 0m,,! voiced 8-3-bG-b*-.. There s a ma%or *rd on top! but the lower notes form a stack of perfect 3ths. The effect is to spell out the material of the mode! without suggesting much in the way of a (tonic(! or (in the &m,," much in the way of a (dominant( or (subdominant(. 6ikewise! in (2ll Blues( (another track from the same album"! the vamp is based on a bass riff consisting of E-0-&-?! over which the sa)es play a riff in *rds using 0-&-?-& and B-/-0-/! and the piano plays a chord consisting of the notes 0-&-2. IO@! together it gives you every note of E mi)olydian mode (root established by the bass"! without anyone playing anything so obvious as a EG chord. (Miles trumpet comes in on the B - the clear ma%or *rd! %ust to

underline that this isn t a blues as you know it." >ince then! %a-- has combined modal practices with functional ones! often in the same tune. Modal influences in rock come largely from blues! which is a kind of modal folk music! not at all interested in functional harmony. (The IG and I=G are not functioning as dominants. The chords in general are almost an afterthought! commonly ignored by the melody and soloists." 2ny time you have a long groove on a single chord! you have a modal! non-functional feel. Typically in rock (again as steve says" an apparent ma%or key will have a b=II chord (eg 0 in key of &". This subverts the (Ionian( modal feel of the traditional ma%or key with a mi)olydian influence. The b=II denies the leading tone of the key (0I in key of &"! removing the easy and predictable (perfect cadence( of classical music (BGJ&". >till! it s rare to find a rock tune which is exclusively mi)olydian. There are other ways of avoiding the dreaded =-I cadence! namely the classical I=-I or (plagal cadence(. 8ock much prefers to approach the tonic via a I= than a =. 2nd even better if a b=II can be involved! as in the popular 0-2-& cadence. 2nd also! while mi)olydian mode is definitely (cool(! the oldfashioned ma%or key still provides suitable sounds for singalong choruses! with commercial appeal. >o rock songs rarely dispense with the ma%or = chord altogether. (>weet /hild o Mine( is a good e)ample of the mi)ture4 a pure mi)olydian verse! with the = of the ma%or key introduced in the chorus (although still alongside the b=II of mi)olydian". Cou get the same combination in the >tones (>ympathy for the 0evil(4 a mi)olydian verse! with the ma%or key = coming in for the chorus. (2lright <ow( by ?ree is an e)ample of a purely mi)olydian tune! as its (Eloria(. 2 more subtle one is 0avid Bowie s (;eroes(! which uses a minor v chord for its fully 0 mi)olydian se'uence. (But it would be a mistake to describe this as (non-functional(! IMO - there is a clear sense of progression from chord to chord! meaningful links between them. It does have cadencesA they are %ust modal rather than key-

based. I guess it depends how narrowly you want to define (functional(. 2s with many theoretical principles! the Beatles provide some good illustrations4 (Tomorrow <ever #nows(4 e)clusively / mi)olydian vamp. <o functional harmony at all. <ot really any chords at all... (@ithin Cou @ithout Cou(4 ditto! pretty much. 2 suggestion of / dorian in the bridge. (<orwegian @ood(4 & mi)olydian main section! moving to & dorian (non-functional change"! finishing with a functional ii-= in & ma%or (?Im-B". (Blue 7ay @ay(4 / lydian mode! with an arpeggiated /dimG used as a functional tension (the opening melodic phrase". (0ear 5rudence(4 mostly 0 mi)olydian! but with a passing Em chord. 7ohn 6ennon and Eeorge ;arrison were both drawn to the ambiguous open-endedness of mi)olydian (for its combination of bluesiness and mystical e)oticism"! while 5aul Mc/artney was a staunch functionalist! an old-fashioned key man. That was partly what made them such a good team. (2lthough even 5aul en%oyed the occasional wallow in mi)olydian! as in the outro to (;ey 7ude(! the rest of which is classic ma%or key." In 'uite a lot of Beatles songs! you can see modal (mi)olydian" verses or riffs! and functional bridges or choruses. (;ard 0ays <ight( is one! with its classic non-functional opening chord (a sort of E9sus3". 8ight back in their earliest stuff! in fact! you can discern modal 'ualities (the mi)olydian hints in (6ove Me 0o(" although they tended then to get drawn back to the functional practices of their main pop influences. <aturally they had no idea of the theoretical ramifications of what they did. They couldn t have cared less...
Kuote4

Originally 5osted by COE213 All of you have been most helpful!!!! Having studied classical harmony in college didn't prepare me at all to make sense of "rock" and "pop" harmony............. Are there any GOO books ! can study that deal "ith harmony from that perspective#

Any further help "ould be $%&H appreciated

8ock and pop harmony is based 'uite a lot on classical functional principles - certainly more than it is on B+th/ post-classical theory. But it does - as I said - borrow heavily from non-classical influences! filtered through blues and &uropean folk music (particularly /eltic". Basically! if you understand low level classical theory (I-I=-= at least" and you understand blues! you have a pretty good handle on what you ll find in rock. 7ust combine that with mi)olydian and dorian! and there isn t much else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------by stevel @ thegearpage.net board:
?unctional harmony actually has two %obs. Most people know about the first - progress towards the Tonic. Most people do not understand the Bnd! which is to establish the tonality. <on-?unctional harmony does not progress to the tonic or assist in the establishment of the tonal center. 5rogressions in /ommon 5ractice 5eriod Tonal music (basically the Baro'ue! /lassical! and 8omantic periods" are LlargelyL functional though they contain non-functional passages. ?unctional progressions are generally the so-called (ascending progressions( which are up a 3th! up a Bnd! and down a *rd. In /55 Tonality4 iii - vi - ii - = - I --------I=-viio--6eft to right is functional. ?rom the lower row to the upper row is functional. vi-I=! I=-ii! viio-=! ii-viio! and I=-= and viio-I are all functional progressions. 6ikewise! =-vi is considered a progression as is skipping diagonally down - iii-I= and vi-viio are progressions (note these are all (deceptive type( progressions - up a Bnd". &verything else is considered a retrogression or non-functional progression (though there are more e)ceptions than I ve gone into here - for e)ample! I is like the Kueen in chess - it can go anywhere". <ow! when you get past the 8omantic period! people have loosened up or ad%usted their definitions to accommodate newer styles of music (especially 7a-- and modern pop". ?or instance! in blues-based rock! something like bIII-I (or i" is a common cadence - think of >moke on the @ater last phrase - E(m" - Bb - / - Bb - E(m". <o dominant chord in sight. <ot even a 5lagal cadence. Is it functionalH <o. <ot officially. But people can t take that because they think it (sounds so right( (sounds so conclusive( (sounds like it s definitely leading to I(. But it s not functional harmony in the traditional sense. It s a (new functionality( but rather than defining new elements to describe this type of music! people adapted other e)isting terminology (incorrectly in many cases" and in many ways (dumbed down( the meanings of the concepts. Is it /55 ?unctional. <o. Is it (8ock ?unctional( - I think so. >o what (functional( is can vary from style to style depending on how people use the terminology. 2s far as /55 music is concerned! it s pretty well-defined though. 5ast the ,9++s! not so much. >teve -----------#en brings up a good point that maybe I didn t make as articulately as possible - yes - not only is it a grey area between styles! but even within a single style it can be sometimes hard to tell.

?or e)ample! the famous 5achelbel /anon goes (the wrong way(4 I - = - vi - iii - I= - I - I= - = But look at every other chord4 I - vi - I= - (I="- = That s a (standard( functional progression. But in this piece! each of these (functional pillars( are (decorated by( a chord a 3th below (which by the way does produce a functional progression to the ne)t chord - =-vi! iii-I=! etc.". >o it s a (largely functional progression( that contains non-functional elements (it s also a >e'uence and many non-functional passages are se'uential - in the absence of functional harmony to (give direction( to a passage! a >e'uence can do that instead". 2nother e)ample is4 i - v1 - iv1 - =. The (real( progression is I-=! and the v1 and iv1 (first inversion of LminorL v and iv" are what are called (linear( chords - they re really (connective tissue( (and again! a lot of non-functional passages include linear chords because again! in the absence of functional directionality! the linear chords produce a directionality! and thus logic all their own - (si)th chords( (first inversion chords" are often employed for this". But another (grey area( is with something like a cadence of4 v-I or b=II-I (functional( harmony dictates that the = or viio should be (dominant type( chords - = or viio (E or Bdim in the key of /". v (minor v! Em in /" is a (non-dominant five(. b=II (Bb in /" is a (non-dominant seven(. But in modally derived:influenced music! they re 'uite common (especially b=II! a staple of rock" and they re basically (pretending to be the dominant(. >o we LshouldL consider them functional progressions in that conte)t (though they can appear in other conte)ts where they aren t functional". Best! >teve

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Originally 5osted by purestmonk !n &'' (onality) iii * vi * ii * + * ! ********!+*viio*** ,teve- can you explain the above again# ! kno" my numerals "ell but ! dont understand your diagram and instructions .. bt" viio is half diminished#
Oh you %a--ers! you think everything is a Gth chord 4-" <o! these are %ust triads - but actually adding the Gths doesn t change anything (so in Ma%or vii would be half-diminshed! or mGb. for those so inclined" >o reading across the top4 iii progresses to vi. vi progresses to ii. ii progresses to =. = progresses to I. Many people call these (circle of .ths( (I prefer /ycle of 3ths" progressions. the bottom line4 I= progresses to viio (also a /ycle of 3ths progression" viio progresses to I

2ctually it s hard to draw this diagram! but the ii and I= should be in a (class( (column" together (called the subdominant! pre-dominant! or dominant-prep class" and = and viio together (in the 0ominant class". Movement D5 within a class is still considered (progressing( (thus functional" though not as (strong( of a progression! so4 I= progresses to ii viio progresses to = In both of those cases we might say the first chord (becomes a stronger version( of itself by becoming the ne)t chord. >o basically if you re moving left to right from column to column! or up within a column! it s progressing4 |ii > |V > | ^ } I |IV > |viio >|

|iii > |vi > { ^

If you re moving right to left! or down within a column! you re (retrogressing( or moving away from the tonic - i.e. a form of non-functional progression (with the e)ception of the =-vi progression! which is considered progressing because the vi is a stand in for I". iii-I= (so it skips one column! the vi chord" is a progression! and so is vi-viio (though it s an uncommon progression in classical music". By the way! it s basically the same for minor keys with a few subtle differences. I have a 50? of a chart as a graphic. If you want me to email it to you! let me know. >teve

------------Kuote4

Originally 5osted by docbop

Okay from studying in 7a-- schools about how chords pull. Tonic chords that sound at home! at rest. >ubdominant chord wanting to move away from home. The 0ominant chords that want to return home. In diatonic harmony then Tonics are I! III! =I. >ubdominants are II! I=. 0ominants are =! =II. ?unctioning and non-functioning would be used to describe if a chord is acting like itself. 2 diminished is functional! or M is a functioning dominant. ;ow a chord is functioning determines your scale choices for improv or composition. This is only partly true for /55 tonal music. I is the Tonic. 5eriod. iii and vi do have (tonic-like( attributes! and composers of course took advantage of this in the =-vi deceptive progression:cadence. vi basically (sounds so similar( to the Tonic that the progression is highly logical! but with a (twist(! which is why it works. iii though rarely functions as a (tonic substitute( in /55 music (though people trained with different backgrounds sometimes analy-e it that way". In %a--! since the fundamental chord structure is a tetrad instead of a triad! vi and iii do take on much more similarities to the Tonic - obviously! viG is basically a I1 (not first inversion here! but like /-&-E-2". 6ikewise! many structures in %a-- are

seen as (rootless( versions of other harmonies! so iii is itself an e)tension of IMG thus the similarity in sound and function. There s the same obvious connection between I=1 and iiG! and =9 (b9" and viimGb. (oG". In fact! the more e)tensions you add! the (more similar( chords become. 2 =,* basically uses all of the notes of the scale so really all the chords become one. That s why perception of root (i.e. maintaining functionality" becomes important! and why chromatic voice leading can help to define harmonic movement in a way that a lot of notes can t (because so many tones have the option of being common tones between chords - way more so than when using simple triads". >teve

--------Maybe I ll add why the (ascending( progressions are called that4 E-2 &-& /-/ I - vi - roots down a *rd (or you could call it up a 1th" E-2 &-? /-/ I - I= - roots up a 3th. E-2 &-? /-0 I - ii - roots up a Bnd. Those are the only possible combination of note movements that produce other chords common to the key and of course they have one! two! or all three notes 2>/&<0. 2ll other motions - 0O@< - make the other three possible changes - up a *rd (I-iii"! down a 3th (I-=" and down a Bnd (I-viio". These are 0&>/&<0I<E progressions. The only remaining possibility is to have none of the notes of the triad move! creating I-I! a (non-progression(. >o that s a total of G - * ascending! * descending! and , stationary (G chords in the key! G possible movements". One of the big distinctions between pre-/55 modality (8enaissance period" and /55 Tonality is that prior to the /55 (and modality in general" tended to favor Lall typesL - both ascending an descending progressions. /55 music tends to favor ascending types. Much rock and pop! modal %a--! folk! etc. do not focus on ascending progressions either (though a lot does of course". In fact! people have gone so far as to say (rock intentionally uses retrogressions( or (is like the music is backwards( (the latter being largely derogatory of course" but what s happening is! in an attempt to sound (less classical( chord progressions like I - b=II - I= - I (sometimes called a (double-plagal progression(" are employed for their (antiprogressing( 'ualities. (note I don t believe they set out to do that intentionally with all this forethought about the theory - as 7on has said! theory is 0escriptive! not 5rescriptive - but it s something they intuitively knew! (sounded different(" >o you will find a 6OT of descending progressions in rock. 2re they (non-functional( though. ?rom a /55 perspective! they aren t functional! but IM;O that definition needs to be modified for contemporary non-/55 styles. 5eace! >teve

Originally 5osted by purestmonk i see- thanks for explaining seems kinda like arbitrary system! Any"ay- does functional . tonal harmony and non*functional . atonal ##
8ather than arbitrary! I d say it s (dependent on style(. Tonal ;armony (with a capital T and ; 4-" is created:maintained by using functional progressions. 2tonal is a tough word - it carries a lot of baggage. The March from the <utcracker Ballet does not use functional progressions! but most people would say it s pretty obviously tonal and not 2tonal. In other words! a (tonal center( can be formed using non-functional progressions. It s not (officially( tonal! but it s certainly much closer to tonality than something that s both non-functional and doesn t establish a tonal center (2tonality". /ertainly though! it s difficult to establish atonality using functional progressions because obviously they re so closely associated you can t really separate the two. >teve

----------Originally 5osted by ?retgears /uestion is does an unaltered augmented triad sound atonal to us "hen individual notes are played in series# oes the decoration then make it "tonal"#
7ust ? everyone s I (?CI" 6is-t and @agner were doing this long before Eiant >teps. &ven Beethoven. In Tonal Music! it doesn t matter how key centers are related! only that key centers are established. If it starts in /! moves to &! then to 2b (and typically back to / of course" it s still Tonal if each section has established a key center. Modulations do not negate Tonality! they %ust move it to a different pitch level. <ow! a Lchord progressionL of /-&-2b is not a typical functional harmonic progression that elicits any strong sense of tonality other than what is promoted by duration! starting:ending chord! etc. /-&-2b-EG-/. Tonal. The & is the only (out of place( chord. 2 so-called (color( chord. >teve

http://www.franksinger.com

Modal Progressions consist of chords created e'clusively from one mode. Dike any chord progression% the chord se4uences must produce resolution to the I chord of the key. In order to characteri&e the particular mode% the predominant secondary chords must contain the unique notes of the mode.
Unique Notes
examples in key of C Mode !!!!! 7ormula Unique Note(s) !!!!! /cale <egree Secondary Chord(s) !!!!! Com. 5um. nalysis D7, F# 7!", #$7 !!!!! II,% :I.!,b)% .IIm, D$7, F$a&7, '7 !!!!! IIm,% I.maj,% ., #!$a&7, '$7 !!!!! b.IImaj,% .m, D$7, F7 !!!!! IIm,% I., ; ! 1 ! b( ! 0 ! ) ! E ! b, ! F?; )eolian #!7, '$7, )!$a&7, F$7 !!!!! b.II,% .m,% b.Imaj,% I.m, D!$a&7 !!!!! bIImaj, ; ! b1 ! b( ! 0 ! ) ! bE ! b, ! F?; Locrian b1 E

Lydian

; ! 1 ! ( ! :0 ! ) ! E ! , ! F?; %onian

:0

; ! 1 ! ( ! 0 ! ) ! E ! , ! F?; Mi(olydian

0% ,

; ! 1 ! ( ! 0 ! ) ! E ! b, ! F?; Dorian

b,

; ! 1 ! b( ! 0 ! ) ! bE ! b, ! F?;

1% bE

Phrygian

'!$a&7 !!!!! b.maj, ; ! b1 ! b( ! 0 ! b) ! bE ! b, ! F?; b)

#odal harmony is exclusive% meaning only scale tones are used to construct the chords of the harmonic progressions. 6'cepting the %onian mode% which produces harmony e4uivalent to diatonic harmony% modal progressions lack a *ri$ary do$inant chord. This lack of cycle of fifthsdominant!to!tonic resolution increases the risk of harmonic drift% which occurs when a series of chords produces resolution to the tonic of the parent scale instead of the mode's I chord. This means most modal progressions use two or three chords in a repeating vamp% using repetition to reinforce the tonal center. Modal Chord Groups
Mode Ionian #i'olydian <orian eolian Ghryian Main Chords I% IIm,% ., I% I.% ., I% b.II Im,% Im,% IIm, I., +(a$*le in ,ey o- C +% <m,% 8, +% 7% 8, +% 9b +m,% <m, +m,% 7, +m,% 7m,% 8m, +m,% 9b% b +m,% <bmaj,

Im,% I.m,% .m, Im,% b.II% b.I Im,% bIImaj,

The addition of less modally!defined chords occurs% often with less fre4uency or duration. The %. chord is often added to a Mi(olydian progression% and the !%%% chord is added to Phrygian progressions. These chords do not define the mode% but introduce some additional harmonic motion. Lydian and Locrian do not produce harmonic progression% as the % chords in these modes don't produce a feeling of resolution using secondary chords containing uni4ue notes from the mode. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.riddleworks.com

Modal /ar$ony 9y <an Galladino Modal /ar$ony 9y <an Galladino

"ere is the usual way musicians think about applying the modes to harmony>

"armoni&ed + major scale

Scale Degree

Chord Name C or Cma!"

Mode C onian # #orian $ %hrygian ' (ydian ) *ixo-(ydian A Aeolian + (ocrian

ii iii & & vi vii

#- or #-" $- or $-" ' or 'ma!" ) or )" A- or A-" +, or +-"-b./

2f course there's nothing wrong with approaching the modes in this way. It's not the only way% however. Det's try an e'periment. Cecord this progression on whatever device you have> H + H <! H + H <! H Cepeat it several times. 5ow rewind and improvise over it using nothing but the + major scale. /ounds good% rightI Try playing the 6 Ghrygian mode over the same progression. <oes it sound any differentI 5ot really. Try the same progression% but play a + major scale over the + chord% and a < <orian scale over the <! chord. ny different yetI -ell% you're emphasi&ing the roots of the chords as they change% but it still pretty much sounds like the same ol' key of + major% rightI Try it with any of the modes listed in the chart above. It still sounds like the key of + major% doesn't itI That's because harmony affects how a melody is perceived. I don't care what you play over that progression% it will sound like + major every single time. 9y the way% our e'ample progression isn't modal harmony!!it's a major $tonality$. You hear tonality all the time in pop ballads% for instance. Asually% there is a progression of many different chords that occur in one or more keys. #odal harmony is most often characteri&ed by short% repetitive progressions% or vamps. #odal melodies usually don't stray far from the seven notes that naturally

occur in the mode.

Det's harmoni&e the modes> Mode onian Scale Formula 01 21 31 41 .1 51 "1 6 Harmonization ma!"1 -"1 -"1 & ma!"1 &"1 & -"1 & "-b./ ma!"1 "1 -"1 7 &"-b./1 & ma!"1 & -"1 & -" "1 -"1 -"-b./1 & ma!"1 &-"1 & -"1 & ma!" -"1 -"-b./1 b ma!"1 &-"1 &-"1 b& ma!"1 b& " -"1 -"1 b ma!"1 &"1 &-"1 & -"-b./1 b& ma!"

(ydian

01 21 31 741 .1 51 "1 6

*ixo-(ydian

01 21 31 41 .1 51 b"1 6

Aeolian

01 21 b31 41 .1 b51 b"1 6

#orian

01 21 b31 41 .1 51 b"1 6

%hrygian

-"1 b ma!"1 b "1 &01 b21 b31 41 .1 b51 b"1 6 "1 &-"-b./1 b& ma!"1 b& -" 01 b21 b31 41 b.1 b51 b"1 6 -"-b./1 b ma!"1 b -"1 &-"1 b& ma!"1 b& "1 b& -"

(ocrian

"ere are some guidelines to follow when creating modal harmony and melody> ;) 6mphasi&e the one chord fre4uently.(<on't stray too far without returning to the one chord.) 1) Ase vamps when possible. () 6ffective modal melodies are usually diatonic. "ere are some e'amples of modal chord progressions> <orian> H <!, H 6!, H 7maj, H 6!, H Ghrygian> H 6!, H 7maj, H 6!, H <!, H eolian> H ! H 7 H + H 8 H 5otice how the progressions don't go too far before returning to the one chord. Try improvising over these progressions using the modes indicated. $/o% how does this help meI$% you may ask. -ell% if you know how these modal progressions sound% you won't need to fish around for

the right notes to improvise over them. You'll hear the <orian progression above and think% $ ha@ That sounds <orian.$ Your ear will recogni&e these things as sounds instead of a series of chords. If you're a writer% this opens up a whole new realm of possibility for your compositions. -hy stick to the same old major and minor progressions% when you can throw in some modal harmony to spice things upI #y suggestion would be to spend some time with the harmoni&ation chart above. Dearn what the harmoni&ations look and sound like.

.a$*s

Cemember back in $-hy Dearn #odesI$ we discussed the differences between the modesI -e're going to use that information to come up with some modal vamps. -e said the 7 Dydian mode was the 7 major scale with a raised fourth. Det's find chords that contain the raised fourth% and alternate them with the $one$ chord to form our vamp. "ere's what I came up with> These chords all contain the note 9. 9!,(b))% 8 or 8,% 6!,% +maj,% !J Det's make some vamps> H> 7maj, H +maj, >H H> 7 H 8 >H H> 7 H 8?7 >H H> 7maj, H 6!, >H 5otice how these vamps all have a similar soundI Glay the 7 Dydian mode over them. "ere's the procedure for coming up with modal vamps> ;) 7ind the differences between the major modes and the major scale. 7or the minor modes% compare to the natural minor scale. Identify the notes that make the mode different from the major or minor scale. 1) Take those notes and find the chords that contain them. () lternate between the one chord and the chords that contain the $difference$ notes. 0) "ave a frosty beer and reflect on a job well done. "ere's some vamps for the 6 Ghrygian mode> The 6 Ghrygian scale is the 6 natural minor scale with a lowered second% so let's find chords with the note 7 in them. 7maj,% <!,% 9!,(b))% 8, "ere's some vamps> H> 6!, H 7maj, >H H> 6!, H <!, >H

H> 6!, H 9!,(b)) >H H> 6!, H 8, >H <o you notice how these vamps have a specific flavor to themI This is the Ghrygian sound. I'm going to list the most +2##25 modal vamps here. It doesn't mean that these are the best and others wouldn't be as good. "owever% these are the ones you are most likely to run into in the real world. You should try to come up with as many as possible on your own. <orian> Ghrygian> Dydian> H> <!, H 8, >H H> 6!, H 7maj, >H H> 7maj, H 8?7 >H

#i'o!Dydian> H> 8 H 7 >H eolian> H> ! H 7 >H

Docrian is a special case. /ince one of the notes that characteri&es the Docrian mode is the lowered second% a possible vamp would be H> 9!,(b)) H +maj, >H The problem is% the 9!,(b)) sounds like it wants to resolve to the +maj,% making this vamp sound like it's in the key of + major% not 9 Docrian. You will find that this is true for any vamp you could come up with. Try it. Your ear will tell you that I'm right. If you really want to write some music in the Docrian mode% I would suggest using an ostinato bass pattern made up of the notes of the Docrian mode. The repeated figure will be enough to imply the sound you're looking for. ( n ostinato pattern is simply a pattern of notes that repeats over and over again.) If you come up with any interesting Docrian vamps or patterns% email me and I'll post them on this page. If you are a songwriter% how about using a modal vamp as your verseI Then go to a relative major key for the chorus. 2r how about a modal bridgeI "ow about an entire song based on a modal vampI If you are a player% you should see many new possibilities for improvisation. Cemember% any chord progression can be navigated using scales. Dearning the modes and their harmoni&ations give you more tools to work with. I hope e'ploring this material makes your musical life richer in some way. 3eep playing and writing@

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http://music.stac e!change.com/questions/ "hat#s the di$$erence %et&een 'modal music( and 'tonal music()

*ns&er

8*odal8 and 8tonal8 both describe works that: 0. have one defined 8home8 pitch1 or 8tonal center18 aro9nd which the melody and harmony are based: 2. have only one tonal center at a time1 tho9gh that tonal center can change thro9gho9t a piece: and 3. 9se a seven-note diatonic scale as their pitch collections. ;he difference between modal and tonal are in the harmonic lang9ages s9rro9nding the tonal center. ;onality implies the system of common-practice harmony well-established by the eighteenth cent9ry that 9ses ma!or and minor keys. ;he tonal center of a tonal work is the first note of the ma!or or minor scale in 9se as the pitch collection. ;he harmonic implications of tonality are more than !9st the 9se of ma!or and minor scales1 asf9nctional harmony is also a feat9re of tonal m9sic. ;he progression from the dominant sonority -a ma!or triad with or witho9t a minor seventh from the triad root based on the fifth note of the ma!or or minor scale in 9se1 or a similar-so9nding s9bstit9te s9ch as a f9lly-diminished seventh chord based on the leading tone/ to the tonic triad to end a work is !9st one characteristic of f9nctional harmony. ;his characteristic is so important that1 if the dominant sonority is instead a minor chord -thereby lacking the leading tone/1 the work no longer so9nds tonal. ;his means that even in a minor key1 the seventh note of the scale is very often raised so that it becomes the leading tone. *odal m9sic 9ses diatonic scales that are not necessarily ma!or or minor and does not 9se f9nctional harmony as we 9nderstand it within tonality. ;he term modal is most often associated with the eight ch9rch modes. ;he tonal center of these modes is called its 8final.8 All the ch9rch modes 9se a pattern of half and whole steps that co9ld be played on the white keys of a piano. <o9 may notice that there are only fo9r different patterns among the ch9rch modes: the difference between e.g. 8dorian8 and 8hypodorian8 is whether the final occ9rs at or near the bottom of the melodic range or whether the final occ9rs in the middle of the melodic range. ;he term 8modal8 has expanded in more modern m9sic to encompass any non-tonal m9sic that 9ses a diatonic pitch collection and has a tonal center. ;here are many types of m9sic other than modal and tonal. =ome examples incl9de: 0. chromatic m9sic1 which 9ses all twelve of the standard >estern pitch classes instead of the diatonic pitch collection1 and which may or may not have a tonal center: 2. serial m9sic1 sometimes called 8dodecaphonic18 which is chromatic m9sic that intentionally avoids a tonal center1 often by avoiding repetition of a pitch class 9ntil all twelve pitch classes have been 9sed: 3. %itonal or pol+tonal m9sic1 which 9ses m9ltiple diatonic pitch collections and m9ltiple tonal centers sim9ltaneo9sly: 4. microtonal m9sic1 which 9ses pitches with fre?9encies between those of the standard twelve >estern pitch classes: .. &hole,tone m9sic1 which 9ses a six-note scale comprised entirely of whole steps: and 5. non,"estern m9sic1 which 9ses a pitch collection o9tside the twelve >estern pitches -this is not a good classification1 as there are many c9lt9res with many different kinds of m9sic that are very different from one another in pitch collection/. did not even to9ch on m9sic that does not 9se pitches at all: for example1 an 9npitched perc9ssion work wo9ld clearly not be modal or tonal. ;here are entire books on f9nctional harmony1 modes1 etc.1 b9t hope this has been a reasonable s9mmary to answer yo9r ?9estion.

http://www.ars-nova.com

How do I write a chord progression in the Phrygian mode?

Question: /reating modal music4 If I am creating a chord progression in the 5hrygian mode! and I am making sure the tonic of each chord falls within the 5hrygian scale! do I have to use all of the notes of the scale in order to be purely modalH Or do I have to use all of the notes that make it distinctly 5hrygian in order to be purely modalH &)ample4 >ince the intervals that distinguish 5hrygian are the flatted second! and the flatted si)th! so do I have to include chords that have both of those as the tonic! or can I %ust use one! and have it be purely modalH -<ate Answer: That is a really interesting one. 2ctually the modes and harmony are kind of at odds with each other. There is a very good book that touches on this! 0et"een $odes and 1eys- by 7oel 6ester (5endragon! ,9N9". The modes were part of a monophonic tradition! and polyphony has a tendency to reduce the modes essentially to two! the modern ma%or and minor. ?or e)ample! the interplay of voices leads to the desire for leading tones in dominant harmony! so that a performer or composer is tempted to sharp the Gth in 0orian or Mi)olydian or 5hrygian. >o Mi)olydian then becomes indistinguishable from Ionian (ma%or"! and 0orian turns into melodic minor. In 6ydian mode there was a fre'uent practice of flatting the 3th degree! which converts 6ydian into ma%or. Into the eighteenth century it was still common to write the key signature for! say! E minor with one less flat! as if it were 0orian! yet the other flat was written in as an accidental or was e)pected to be supplied by the player! converting the key to minor. 2nd so on. This is how we ended up with two basic modesA it was the evolution of harmonic thinking applied to modal melody. But what you want to have is practical advice on creating what could be called modal harmony. @e re modern people and will hardly be able to avoid thinking in terms of chords! so the first principle will be that the chords you use need to stick to the notes of the mode! with only occasional departures. Cou ask whether the modal melody needs to include all the notes of the mode4 what it needs! as you suggest! is to include at least the notes that characteri-e the mode. ?or e)ample! in a 0 0orian piece you want to make sure to use that B natural (the ma%or si)th above the tonic is what sets 0orian apart from normal minor". &)amples in popular style could be taken from old fiddle and folk tunes! many of which are in 0orian or Mi)olydian or 2eolian (natural minor". ;ere s the first part of 8ed ;aired Boy! which is Mi)olydian. @hat makes Mi)olydian different from ma%or is the low seventh degree (looks like E ma%or! but without the ? sharp"4

In answer to the second part of your 'uestion! no! you don t need to include chords whose roots are the characteristic tones of the mode. The characteristic tone might happen to be the *rd or .th in a chord. ?or 8ed ;aired Boy the ? natural fits well in a minor v chord (0 minor here"! though you could also use ? ma%or4

(>carborough ?air( is in 0orian! with the characteristic ma%or si)th replacing the minor si)th of modern minor. It can easily be harmoni-ed with I= (E ma%or in 0 0orian as below"4

It s harder to find tunes in 5hrygian! but we can make one up for illustration. Cou re right that a characteristic of 5hrygian is the low second degree4 ? natural in & 5hrygian. <o other traditional mode starts with a half step (I m e)cluding the theoretical (6ocrian mode(". @e could harmoni-e that with d minor! showing that the characteristic tone doesn t have to be the root of a chord4

Of course! to our ears the above has a strong tendency to sound like it s in / ma%or but %ust not ending on the right note. Cou could introduce a non-modal tone to strengthen the cadence to & at a phrase ending. 2 leading tone like the 0I below would pretty much have to be harmoni-ed with a B ma%or or BG chord! though! and that introduces not one but B non-modal tones4

The more you do that sort of thing! the less this sounds like 5hrygian. But inconsistency is not necessarily bad in music. 2nother approach is to start like the old polyphonists did! with a single melody and add more polyphonic voices. The other voices are adapted to the primary melody following typical principles of counterpoint (our /ounterpointer software teaches that". Traditional modal harmony would not be built on a (chord progression!( which is a modern conceptA it would arise from the interplay of voices. @hatever you do in modal writing! the listener may still not be hearing the tonic in the way you e)pect. But we say! (if it sounds good! do it.(

By JonR Functional sequences as such are quite easy to describe, and not too difficult to spot. (All the classic jazz standards of the 19 !s, "!s and #!s are of this type.$ %enerally, they use &tertian& har'ony (root triads (ith e)tensions up to 1"ths and *arious alterations$, and there is typically a +roup of chords (ith a sense of ,ey centre. -ou ha*e one chord (hich feels &stable&, li,e a ho'e or rest point, and other clearly related chords (har'onised fro' the sa'e scale or *ery si'ilar$ (hich represent *aryin+ tensions a(ay fro' that. .t feels li,e the 'usic is moving forward har'onically (o*er and abo*e any rhyth'ic dri*e$, (ith a &tale to tell&. .n contrast, 'odal har'ony is typically based on quartal chords (na'ed in tertian lan+ua+e as *arious ,inds of sus chords, or slash chords$. /ne chord 'ay last a lon+ ti'e, but (hen (if$ it chan+es, the ne)t chord (on0t ha*e a ,ey relationship (ith it. .t (ill +o so'e(here else, but not out of any sense of &narrati*e connection&. ./1, rather than functional har'ony0s sense of chords constantly 'o*in+ for(ard, +oin+ up and do(n (or in and out$ in le*els of tension, 'odal har'ony feels 'ore li,e a series of static positions. 1here functional har'ony &tells a story&, 'odal har'ony is a series of &'oods&. .ts chords can sound &e)pectant&, but the tensions in the' are colouristic, (ith no functional 'eanin+. 2hey +i*e no clue as to (hat chord 'i+ht co'e ne)t. .n contrast, functional har'ony is full of clues and si+ns about (hat0s co'in+ 3 if often (ron+3foots you, (ith &decepti*e cadences&, but that0s part of its +a'e. .t leads you by the hand, but so'eti'es ('aybe (hen you feel you ,no( (here it0s +oin+$ it dra+s you so'e(here 'ore interestin+. 4odal har'ony just sits there, as,in+ you to conte'plate the surroundin+s5 (hen it chan+es, it0s li,e &/6, no( loo, o*er here&. 2hin,in+ about it this (ay, you can understand 4iles0s desire to +et off the by3then tedious roller3coaster of functional bebop, and find so'ethin+ +enuinely &cool&, in e*ery sense. 7o'ethin+ beautifully static and 'editati*e. Rather than a sin+le chord bein+ a li'itation, it (as a liberation. But (hen . say 'odal theory doesn0t e)plain functional har'ony, . 'ean that it considers each chord in isolation. 2hat0s because that0s ho( modal 'usic (or,s. 8ach chord is a (orld unto itself. 2his is not the case in functional har'ony5 no sin+le chord 'a,es sense on its o(n, you need to ,no( (here it0s co'e fro' and (here it0s +oin+. &Function& si'ply 'eans the chord has a job, a role in a pro+ression in a &,ey&. .t0s a co+ in a 'achine. 7eparate the co+s fro' each other, and the 'achine stops (or,in+ . .n the 'odal perspecti*e, the chord root rules, and all the other notes ha*e a rou+hly equal *alue. 4odal jazz tends to reject triadic chords, because of their functional associations, +oin+ for a'bi+uous quartal sounds, or rando', fluid *oicin+s. .n the functional perspecti*e, the chord root is a nu'bered scale de+ree5 the &tonic& of the ,ey rules, as &.&5 the "rd and 9th of each chord are al'ost as i'portant as the root, ar+uably 'ore so5 they are the &+uide tones& (hich dri*e the har'ony for(ard. .f other e)tensions are e'ployed, they (ill either be reflectin+ 'elody notes, or ta,in+ part in so'e other ,ind of *oice3leadin+ bet(een chords either side. Alterations too are desi+ned to pro*ide 'ore interestin+ chro'atic *oice 'o*es5 e+ a b: can lead by half3 step to a follo(in+ root. (A &9alt& chord is not just a tasty stac, of dissonances5 it0s a set of half3steps on their (ay to chord tones or e)tensions on the tonic.$ ./1, 'odal is all about the chords, on their o(n. .t0s the cast of characters in a fil'. Functional is all about the 'o*e'ent between the chords5 it0s the story, the plot. .n that sense, yes, they can (and should;$ (or, to+ether. But you can0t describe a fil' to so'eone by just sayin+ (ho0s in it. -ou ha*e to tal, about what happens.